Eggless Semolina/ Rava/Sooji Cake

I never thought or I should say tried making a cake using Rava / Sooji. I have got this recipe from a friend who owns LG microwave and was happy to share this recipe from her LG cookbook. My MIL loved this cake.

Recipe is as it is from LG cookbook along with little changes made by me.

Recipe:

• 1 cup Semolina(sooji/suji). I use chiroti rava.
• 1/2 up whole wheat flour (atta)
• 1/2 cup plain flour (maida)
• 1/2 cup yogurt (dahi)
• 1/4 tsp saffron(kesar) or pinch of yellow color
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2  tbsp milk approx.. I added 2 tbsp extra as batter was very thick.
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp cashews or pine nuts or raisins (kishmish)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 160 degree Centigrade. Grease a 8-9" baking pan.
• Sift together rava, maida, wheat flour, soda and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a big bowl combine yogurt, oil and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Add semolina mixture, saffron, green cardamom and milk to get a soft dropping consistency. Beat with an electric beater at medium speed for 5 minutes.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking tin. sprinkle cashews and raisins on top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cake was soft and yummy. MIL loved it as it was egg less and no maida. Family Happy I am Happy!.

Vegetable Pasta

I love Pasta, nothing new right..every one loves pasta :) During my childhood my naani and mom used to make home made semiya during summer season( I want to learn how to make them). Once sun dried mom used to prepare either milk based semiyan or vegetable semiya. After growing up and coming to a cosmopolitan city I found  Pasta in grocery shop shelves and this reminded how everything was once handmade and is now so much commercialized. Long chat for some other time.

My son loves Pasta but only boiled pasta with just salt, little oil n minimal spices. He is not a vegetable lover and I am struggling to include veggies in his diet. But B and me both loves veggies, so it was Vegetable pasta for dinner tonight. Personally I love white sauce creamy pasta ,but that becomes too heavy on tummy. And to keep my weight under check I have gradually switched to simple pasta just with veggies and some Italian spices. This one has mushroom, carrots,onion,green bell pepper,spinach,garlic, which got filtered into my plate as little hero doesn't like them.

Recipe

• 1 cup boiled pasta
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1 cup spinach.. do not chop
• 1 cup chopped mushroom
• 2 tsp oil
• Garlic powder or use fresh garlic
• Pepper powder
• Salt as per taste

Steps :

1. Heat oil in pan.
2. saute onion and mushroom. Let mushroom water gets dried up
3. Add spinach and carrot and again saute for sometime. Spinach will leave water , so let it get dried up
4. Add bell peppers, salt ,garlic powder and pepper powder and saute for 3-5 mins. We liek chunky Capsicum.

5.Add Italian Spice, dried basil, Oregano, Chilly flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder and mix well.
5. Add boiled pasta and mix well.
6.add grated cheese if you like.
7. Serve hot

Hope you like it as much B and I did.